Lessons & Units :: A Wonder Book: Heroes and Monsters of Greek Mythology 4th Grade Unit

Read-Aloud Lesson: A Wonder Book - The Golden Touch

Lesson Plan

A Wonder Book: Heroes and Monsters of Greek Mythology

A Wonder Book: Heroes and Monsters of Greek Mythology
Learning Goal
Identify what King Midas wanted and explain why he wanted it; and then describe what happened when he got his wish, particularly its physical and emotional effects, in order to discuss the themes of the story.
Necessary Materials
Provided:
  1. Detailed lesson plan
  2. Graphic organizer for guided practice
  3. Independent student worksheet

Not Provided:
A Wonder Book: Heroes and Monsters of Greek Mythology
 
  1. This lesson is a close reading of the entire text. So it’s important to engage students often, to enhance their learning. Here are two tips:

    •   When you ask the more complex questions from the lesson, ask students to “turn-and-talk” or “buddy-talk” before answering.

    •   Once you are deep into the lesson, instead of asking students every question provided, ask them to share with you what questions they should be asking themselves at that point in the text. This is also a great opportunity to use "turn-and-talk."
       
  2. Suggested teacher language is included in the lesson.

  3. We recommend you read the book once to your students, either the day or morning before teaching the lesson.

  4. This research-based, read-aloud lesson may seem long. Why do students need the lesson to be this way?
 

Part 1: Teacher Modeling and Questioning

 

Write the following student-friendly learning goal on the board, then read the learning goal out loud with the class:

We will identify what King Midas wanted and explain why he wanted it. We will then describe what happened when he got his wish, both to the world around him and to his own mind. Finally, we will discuss the themes of the story.

 
Transition Students into the Text
 
Teacher says: Imagine you could have as much money as you wanted. How would your life be different? Silently answer that question to yourself. [pause to let students imagine] We are going to read a story about someone whose dream of becoming very, very, very rich comes true.
 
Read aloud page 35, on which the story starts, and stop after the last full paragraph on the same page. That paragraph ends with, “‘...worth the plucking!’”
1.
Teacher asks: We are introduced to two characters at the beginning of this story. One of them is King Midas. What is the name of the other character?
 
Students answer: The other character is named Marygold.
2.
Teacher asks: How is Marygold related to King Midas?
 
Students answer: Marygold is King Midas’s daughter.
3.
Teacher asks: Midas is fonder of gold than anything else in the world. That means he likes gold more than anything else. There is only one thing he might love as much as gold. What, or who, is that one thing?
 
Students answer: That one thing is his daughter Marygold.
 
Read the remainder of page 35 and continue through the end of page 36. Page 36 ends with, “...make fun of him.” Make sure students understand that the word “ass” on page 36 means “donkey” in this context.
4.
Teacher asks: What did Midas used to like besides gold?
 
Students answer (both of the following responses are acceptable):
  • Midas used to like flowers.
  • Midas used to like music.
5.
Teacher asks: How does Midas now spend a large part of each day?
 
Students answer (responses may vary but should resemble the following): Midas now spends a large part of each day playing with his gold.
6.
Teacher says (models thinking): Notice how Midas’s interests have changed over time. The book tells us that before he was completely obsessed with money, Midas used to enjoy other things. He liked flowers a lot, planted a rose garden, and was fond of music. The fact that Midas’s interests have changed once makes me think that they could change again. I wonder whether he will ever go back to being interested in flowers, music, or anything besides gold. Think about how likely that possibility is as we read on.
Read more
 
Read pages 37 and 38. Page 38 ends with, “...loved so much.”
7.
Teacher asks: One day while Midas is in his treasure-room, a visitor appears. Describe the visitor.
 
Students answer: Responses may vary, as long as they come from the text. Examples include:
  • Midas’s visitor is a young man.
  • Midas’s visitor is supernatural.
  • Midas’s visitor is kindly.
  • Midas’s visitor is curious.
8.
Teacher asks: Midas had locked the door to his treasure-room after going inside, and no human was strong enough to break in. Based on this information, what does Midas conclude about his visitor?
 
Students answer: Responses may vary, but students should recognize, as Midas does, that his visitor is not human.
9.
Teacher says (models thinking): If Midas’s visitor has the power to enter a locked treasure-room that no human could break into, he must have some kind of supernatural, or special, power. If he has the power to enter a locked room, he may have the power to do other fantastic things too. I can understand why Midas believes the stranger may have the power to grant his greatest wish.
10.
Teacher asks: Midas thinks and thinks about what to wish for from the stranger. Then he has a bright idea. Consider everything we know about King Midas and what he cares about. What might his idea for a wish be?
 
Students answer: Responses may vary, but students should recognize that Midas’s idea is to wish for more gold in some form.
 
Read through the last full paragraph on page 39. The last full paragraph on page 39 ends with, “...hoarding up.”
11.
Teacher asks: What does Midas wish for?
 
Students answer: Responses may vary in wording but should resemble the following:
  • Midas wishes for everything he touches to turn into gold.
  • Midas wishes for the Golden Touch.
12.
Teacher asks: Why does Midas wish that everything he touches would turn into gold?
 
Students answer: Responses may vary but should resemble the following:
  • Midas wants to be richer.
  • Midas is tired of working so hard to increase his treasures without having as much as he wants.
  • Midas thinks he will be happy if everything he touches turns to gold.
13.
Teacher says: The stranger tells Midas that his wish will come true the next morning. Let’s find out whether turning everything he touches into gold makes Midas as happy as he expects it to.
 
Read the remainder of page 39 and continue through the last full paragraph on page 41. The last full paragraph on page 41 ends with, “‘...read to me.’” Make sure students understand that “spectacles” means “glasses” on page 41.
14.
Teacher asks: What are some of the things that Midas turns into gold with his touch?
 
Students answer: Responses may specify any of the items mentioned by the book. These include a bed covering, a book, clothing, a handkerchief hemmed by Marygold, and spectacles.
15.
Teacher asks: What problem is created when Midas turns his spectacles into gold?
 
Students answer: Midas can no longer see through his spectacles.
16.
Teacher asks: Is Midas upset about not being able to see through his spectacles anymore? Support your answer with evidence from the book.
 
Students answer: Responses may vary, as long as they are supported by the book. For example, students may respond that Midas is a little bothered about not being able to see through his spectacles but feels that their loss is a small price to pay for the Golden Touch.
17.
Teacher asks: Is Midas happy that he now has the power of the Golden Touch? Why or why not? Support your answer with evidence from the book.
 
Students answer: Responses may vary and include the following:
  • Midas is happy that he has the power of the Golden Touch. He wanted to become richer, and the Golden Touch is helping him do that.
  • Midas is somewhat happy that he has the power of the Golden Touch. He likes being able to turn most things into gold, but he wishes that some things, like his spectacles and the handkerchief hemmed by Marygold, had not turned into gold when he touched them.
 
Read the remainder of page 41 and continue through the end of page 43. Page 43 ends with, “...the metal.” Define “balustrade” on page 41 as “railing.”
18.
Teacher asks: What other things has Midas changed into gold now?
 
Students answer: Responses may include any of the items mentioned from the last paragraph on page 41 through the end of page 43. These include the railing on Midas’s staircase, his door-latch, the roses in his garden, and his daughter’s bowl.
19.
Teacher asks: When Marygold appears at breakfast, what is she doing?
 
Students answer: Marygold is crying.
20.
Teacher asks: Why is Marygold crying?
 
Students answer: Marygold is crying because the roses in the garden have been turned into gold.
21.
Teacher asks: Why is Marygold upset that the roses in the garden have been turned into gold? Name at least two reasons she gives.
 
Students answer: Responses may vary but should come from the book. Examples include the following:
  • The golden roses are ugly.
  • The golden roses have no smell.
  • The golden roses have hard petals that prick her nose.
22.
Teacher asks: How does Midas feel after seeing his daughter upset over the golden roses? Explain why he feels this way, using evidence from the story.
 
Students answer: Midas feels ashamed because he is the one who turned the roses into gold.
23.
Teacher says (models thinking): I am noticing that Midas’s wish seems to be having bad effects as well as good ones. Being able to turn the roses in his garden into gold makes him happy, but it makes his daughter upset. That makes him feel bad because he cares a lot about his daughter, maybe even as much as he cares about gold. Thinking about cause and effect like this can help us understand how events in a story are related to each other. As we read on, pay attention to other effects of Midas’s wish and whether they are good or bad.
 
Read pages 44 and 45. Continue reading through the first paragraph on page 46. The first paragraph on page 46 ends with, “...rich fare?”
24.
Teacher asks: What happens each time Midas tries to eat or drink something at breakfast?
 
Students answer: Whatever Midas tries to eat or drink changes into gold.
25.
Teacher asks: Is Midas’s breakfast changing into gold a good or a bad effect of his wish? Explain your answer, using evidence from the story.
 
Students answer: Responses may vary, as long as they are supported by the book. For example, students may respond that Midas’s breakfast changing into gold is a good effect because it adds to his store of gold, which is something he really wants. On the other hand, students may respond that Midas’s breakfast changing into gold is a bad effect because it means he cannot eat or drink anything.
 
Continue reading through the last full paragraph on page 46. The last full paragraph consists of a single sentence: “But Marygold made no answer.”
26.
Teacher asks: When Marygold sees and hears her father groaning at breakfast, she wants to comfort him. What does she get out of her chair and do?
 
Students answer: Marygold gets out of her chair and throws her arms around her father.
27.
Teacher asks: After Marygold throws her arms around Midas, he bends over and does something. What does Midas do?
 
Students answer: Midas kisses Marygold.
28.
Teacher asks: After Midas kisses Marygold, she stops speaking. Why might she have stopped speaking? Support your answer with evidence from the story.
 
Students answer: Marygold might have stopped speaking because she has turned into gold. Whatever Midas touches changes into gold, so kissing his daughter would have changed her into gold.
29.
Teacher says: Let’s find out exactly what has happened to Marygold.
 
Read the remainder of page 46 and continue through the first full paragraph on page 47. The first full paragraph ends with, “...earth and sky!”
30.
Teacher asks: Listen carefully to that last sentence as I read it again. “And now, at last, when it was too late, he felt how infinitely a warm and tender heart, that loved him, exceeded in value all the wealth that could be piled up betwixt the earth and sky!” Whom did the warm and tender heart that loved Midas belong to?
 
Students answer: The warm and tender heart that loved Midas belonged to Marygold.
31.
Teacher asks: “To exceed in value” means that one thing is more valuable than another. What does it mean that Marygold’s loving heart exceeded in value all the wealth that could be piled up between the earth and the sky?
 
Students answer: It means that Marygold’s loving heart was more valuable than all the wealth that could be piled up between the earth and the sky.
32.
Teacher asks: What makes Midas realize that Marygold’s love is more valuable than all his gold?
 
Students answer: Responses may vary and include the following:
  • Losing Marygold makes Midas realize that her love is more valuable than all his gold.
  • Midas realizes that Marygold’s love is more valuable because he now understands that he can get more gold, but he cannot get another Marygold.
33.
Teacher asks: Is Midas happy with the power of the Golden Touch now? Explain why or why not, using evidence from the story.
 
Students answer: All students should recognize that Midas is no longer happy with the power of the Golden Touch. Because of that power he has lost his daughter, whom he now realizes was more important to him than gold.
 
Read the remainder of page 47 and continue through the fourth full paragraph on page 49. The fourth full paragraph consists of a single sentence: “King Midas bowed low; and when he lifted his head, the lustrous stranger had vanished.” As you read, explain that “avarice” is a feeling of always wanting more money, no matter how much you have.
34.
Teacher asks: Who has visited Midas again?
 
Students answer (responses may vary but should resemble the following): The stranger who appeared in the treasure-room has visited Midas again.
35.
Teacher asks: The stranger asks how things are going for Midas now that he has the Golden Touch. How does Midas say he feels?
 
Students answer: Midas says he feels miserable.
36.
Teacher asks: Think about everything that has happened since Midas gained the Golden Touch. Why might Midas be feeling miserable?
 
Students answer: Responses may vary and include the following:
  • Midas might feel miserable because he cannot eat or drink.
  • Midas might feel miserable because his daughter has been turned into gold.
  • Midas might feel miserable because he regrets not having realized before that food and love are more important than wealth.
37.
Teacher asks: What does Midas want to happen to the Golden Touch now?
 
Students answer: Midas wants the Golden Touch to go away.
38.
Teacher says: The stranger gives Midas instructions for how to get rid of the Golden Touch. Midas is supposed to jump into the river at the bottom of his garden. After that he can fill a vase with water from the river and sprinkle the water over anything he has turned into gold. Let’s see whether these instructions work for Midas.
 
Finish reading the story. Define “bosom” at the bottom of page 49 as “chest.”
39.
Teacher asks: After Midas climbs out of the river, he touches a violet. A violet is a purple flower. What happens when Midas touches the violet?
 
Students answer (responses may vary in wording but should resemble the following): The violet stays the same.
40.
Teacher asks: Based on what happens when Midas touches the violet, what can you conclude about the Golden Touch?
 
Students answer: The Golden Touch has gone away.
41.
Teacher asks: As he was told to do by the stranger, Midas fills a pitcher with water and sprinkles the water on things that he had changed into gold. What happens when he sprinkles the water on Marygold?
 
Students respond: Marygold turns back into a human being.
42.
Teacher asks: According to the book, Midas is now wiser than he was before. Why is he wiser now? Support your answer with evidence from the book.
 
Students answer: Responses may vary, as long as they are supported by the text. For example, students may respond that Midas is wiser now because he has realized that gold is not the most important thing in life. Food, water, and his daughter are more important to him.
 

Part 2: Guided Practice and Discussion

 
For this oral lesson, it is suggested to have the completed graphic organizer on the board with the answers concealed. After students provide a correct answer, reveal the corresponding answer on the graphic organizer. For some fields, there is more than one possible answer. Please keep in mind that the answers provided on the teacher version of the graphic organizer may be examples rather than definitive responses. The teacher-student script below indicates when multiple answers are acceptable.
 
Teacher says: Now we are going to take a look at each phase, or part, of the story. Based on what Midas does and thinks during each phase, we will determine whether or not he is happy.
1.
Teacher asks: Let’s start with the first phase, which is the part of the story before Midas gains the power of the Golden Touch. What is an action, or something Midas does, during this phase of the story?
 
Students answer (responses may vary but should include the following): Midas plays with his gold in the treasure-room.
2.
Teacher asks: What is a thought Midas has while playing with his gold?
 
Students answer: (responses may vary but should include the following): Midas thinks that he would be happier if he had more gold.
3.
Teacher asks: Is Midas happy in this phase of the story? Explain why or why not, using evidence from the story.
 
Students answer (responses may vary but should resemble the following): No, Midas is not completely happy. He does not have as much gold as he wants.
4.
Teacher asks: Now think about the next phase in the story. This part of the story is after Midas has gained the power of the Golden Touch but before he has breakfast with Marygold. What are some of his actions in this phase?
 
Students answer: Responses may vary and include the following:
  • Midas changes his bed covering into gold.
  • Midas changes his spectacles into gold.
5.
Teacher asks: What are some thoughts Midas has during this phase of the story?
 
Students answer: (responses may vary and include the following):
  • Midas thinks that turning his bed covering into gold is a wonderful thing.
  • Midas thinks that turning his spectacles into gold is a small inconvenience.
6.
Teacher asks: Is Midas happy in this phase of the story? Explain why or why not, using evidence from the story.
 
Students answer (responses may vary but should resemble the following): Yes, Midas is happy. He enjoys turning his belongings into gold at first.
Read more
7.
Teacher asks: Now think about the next phase in the story. This part of the story is during and after Midas’s breakfast with Marygold but before he has gotten rid of the Golden Touch. What are some of his actions in this phase?
 
Students answer: Responses may vary and include the following:
  • Midas changes his breakfast into gold.
  • Midas changes Marygold into gold. (make sure this responses is given before moving on)
8.
Teacher asks: What are some thoughts Midas has during this phase of the story?
 
Students answer: (responses may vary and include the following):
  • Midas wonders how he will be able to eat and drink.
  • Midas thinks that turning Marygold into gold is a terrible thing. (make sure this response is given before moving on)
9.
Teacher asks: Is Midas happy in this phase of the story? Explain why or why not, using evidence from the story.
 
Students answer: Responses may vary, as long as they are supported by the text. Examples include the following:
  • No. Midas gets frustrated while trying to eat his breakfast.
  • No. Midas is miserable after turning Marygold into gold. (make sure this response is given before moving on)
10.
Teacher asks: Now think about the final phase in the story. That is the part of the story after Midas has lost the Golden Touch. What are some of his actions in this phase?
 
Students answer: Responses may vary and include the following:
  • Midas changes Marygold back into a human being. (make sure this response is given before moving on)
  • Midas changes his golden roses back into flowers.
11.
Teacher asks: What are some thoughts Midas has during this phase of the story?
 
Students answer: (responses may vary and include the following):
  • Midas thinks that having Marygold back is a wonderful thing. (make sure this response is given before moving on)
  • Midas thinks that he acted foolishly by wishing for the Golden Touch.
12.
Teacher asks: Is Midas happy in this phase of the story? Explain why or why not, using evidence from the story.
 
Students answer (responses may vary but should resemble the following): Yes, Midas is happy. He gets Marygold back as a human being.
 
After the answers for the graphic organizer have been completed and discussed with the class, ask the following extension questions.
 
Teacher asks: Listen as I reread one of the most important sentences from the story. “The commonest things, such as lie within everybody’s grasp, are more valuable than the riches which so many mortals sigh and struggle after.” Now put this sentence into your own words.
 
To facilitate this question, you may write the quoted sentence somewhere students can see it. You may also assist students by defining “mortals” as “human beings.”
 
Students answer (responses may vary and resemble the following): Everyday things that anyone can have are worth more than the money that so many people want and work hard for.
 
Teacher asks: Is it true that common, everyday things are more valuable than riches? Why or why not? Support your answer with evidence from the story.
 
Students answer: Responses may vary, as long as they are supported by the text. Examples include the following:
  • It is true that common, everyday things are more valuable than riches. They are more important to a person’s happiness. Midas discovered that he could not be happy without his daughter and the ability to eat or drink, even though he could make himself extremely rich.
  • Common, everyday things are not more valuable than riches. They are both very valuable. Midas needs everyday things like food, water, and his family to be happy. He also needs riches in order to maintain those things. Without money, he might not be able to buy food or to take care of his daughter very well.
 
Teacher asks: The theme of a story is the big idea behind it or an important point it makes about life. Some stories have more than one theme. With all that in mind, look at the graphic organizer we just created. Based on what you see, what might be a theme of the story of King Midas? Support your answer with evidence from the story.
 
Students answer: Responses may vary and include the following:
  • A theme of the story might be that gold is not as valuable as love. After Midas gains the power to create as much gold as he wants, he realizes that gold is less important to him than his daughter and her love.
  • A theme of the story might be that people do not understand how important something is until they lose it. For example, Midas did not understand how important Marygold was to him until she was changed into a statue.
 

Part 3: Student Independent Practice

 
Both the student question set and teacher answer sheet are provided in the 'Text & Materials' section.

Texts & Materials

Standards Alignment

(To see all of the ReadWorks lessons aligned to your standards, click here.)

User Comments

Great lesson, I think this will really helped my children.

Submitted by omanning24_1656069 on 9/11/16

How come I can't printout the reading passages? I click on the reading passage with the x in the box and nothing happens

Submitted by cs121782_1321336 on 3/7/16
This unit is focused on the book titled A Wonder Book: Heroes and Monsters of Greek Mythology. We don't provide the book, but we have a link to the book on Amazon where you can purchase it. For more information, please follow this link: http://www.readworks.org/books/wonder-book-heroes-and-monsters-greek-mythology
Submitted by ReadWorks on 3/10/16

This is so great

Submitted by toihil5549_1371833 on 4/24/15